How Effective is Low-dose Radiotherapy (LD-RT) for Heberden's Osteoarthritis? An Analysis of the Current Literature

Abstract

Introduction

Low-dose radiotherapy is an established treatment option for non-malignant skeletal disorders. It is used in the treatment of Heberden’s osteoarthritis (HA), but the evidence of efficacy does not seem to be certain. This paper reviews current literature for scientific evidence of efficacy in the treatment of HA.

Methods

The PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant publications.

Results

9 publications were identified that published data from 7 studies. Only one study was randomised, placebo-controlled and double-blinded. None of the studies exclusively investigated HA. The studies were all inhomogenous with regard to inclusion criteria, follow-up criteria, radiation mode and interpretation or treatment success. In the RCT, no difference was found between the verum and control groups.

Conclusion

The study situation is currently weak. The researched publications are not sufficiently focused on the collective of Heberden’s osteoarthritis and are generally too inhomogenous with regard to the criteria applied. Future targeted studies are therefore required to prove efficacy.

Keywords

Heberdens osteoarthritis - low-dose radiation - therapy - Heberden's nodes

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